Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher Part 25

When I come to, a little later on, here was Billy settin' byside me, a'

awful sober look on his face.

"Billy," I says to him, "where is she?"

"Cupid--don't take it hard, ole man--she's--she's gone. Boarded the East-bound not half a' hour ago. But, pardner----"

Gone!

I didn't answer him. I just rolled over onto my face.

CHAPTER EIGHT

ANOTHER SCHEME, AND HOW IT PANNED OUT

WAL, pore ole Sewell! _I_ wasn't feelin' dandy them days, you'd better believe. But, Sewell, he took Macie's goin' _turrible_ bad. Whenever he come in town, he was allus just as _qui-i-et_. Not a cheep about the little gal; wouldn't 'a' laughed fer a nickel; and never'd go anywheres nigh the lunch-counter. Then, he begun t' git peakeder'n the d.i.c.kens, and his eyes looked as big as saucers, and bloodshot. Pore ole boss!

I kept outen his way. He'd heerd all about that Shackleton business, y' savvy, and was awful down on me; helt me _re_sponsible fer the hull thing, and tole the boys he never wanted t' set eyes on me again.

Hairoil went to him and said I'd been jobbed, and was innocenter'n Mary's little lamb. But Sewell wouldn't listen even, and said I'd done him dirt.

A-course, I couldn't go back t' my Bar Y job, then,--and me plumb crazy t' git to work and make enough t' go to Noo York on! But I didn't do no mournin'; I kept a stiff upper lip. "Cupid," I says to myself, "allus remember that the gal that's hard t' ketch is the best kind when oncet you've got her." And I sit down and writ the foreman of the Mulhall outfit. (By now, my arm was all healed up fine.)

Wal, when I went over to the post-office a little bit later on, the post-master tole me that Sewell'd just got a letter from Macie!--but it hadn't seemed t' chirp the ole man up any. And they was one fer Mrs.

Trowbridge, too, he says; did I want to look at it?

"I don't mind," I answers.

It was from her--I'd know her little d.i.n.ky l's _anywheres_. I helt it fer a minute--'twixt my two hands. It was like I had her fingers, kinda.

Then, "S'pose they ain't nothin' fer me t'day," I says.

"No, Cupid,--sorry. Next time, I reckon."

"Wal," I goes on "would you mind lettin' me take this over t' Rose?"

"Why, no,--go ahaid."

I went, quick as ever my laigs could carry me, the letter tucked inside my s.h.i.+rt.

Rose read it out loud t' me, whilst I helt the kid. It wasn't a long letter, but, somehow, I never could recollect afterwards just the exac' words that was in it. I drawed, though, that Mace was havin'

a _way_-up time. She was seein' all the shows, she said, meetin'

slathers of folks, and had a room with a nice, sorta middle-aged lady, in a place where a lot of young fellers and gals hung out t' study all kinds of fool business. Some of 'em she liked, and some she didn't.

Some took her fer a greeney, and some was fresh. But she was learnin' a pile--and 'd heerd Susy's Band!

"Is that all?" I ast when Rose was done.

"Yas, Cupid."

"Nothin' about me?"

"No."

"Does she give her _ad_dress?"

"Just Gen'ral Deliv'ry."

"Thank y', Rose."

"Stay t' dinner, Cupid. I'm goin' t' have chicken frica.s.see."

But I didn't feel like eatin'. I put the kid down and come away.

I made towards Dutchy's--pretty blue, I was, a-course. "Cupid," I says, "bad luck runs in you' fambly like the wooden laig."

But, mind y', I wasn't goin' with the idear of boozin' up, _no,_ ma'am. _I_ figger that if a gal's worth stewin' over any, she's a hull lot _too_ good fer a man that gits _drunk_. I went 'cause I knowed the boys was there; and them days the boys was _mighty_ nice to me.

Wal, this day, I'm powerful glad I went. If I hadn't, it's likely I'd never 'a' got that bully _po_-sition, 'r played Cupid again (without knowin' it)--and so got the one chanst I was a-prayin' fer.

Now, this is what happened:

I'd just got inside Dutchy's, and was a-standin' behind Buckshot Milliken, watchin' him bluff the station-agent with two little pair, when I heerd Hairoil a-talkin' to hisself, kinda. "Dear me suz!" he says (he was peerin' acrosst the street towards the deepot), "what blamed funny things I see when I ain't got no gun!"

A-course, we all stampeded over and took a squint. "Wal, when did _that_ blow in?" says Bill Rawson. And, "Say! ketch me whilst I faint!"

goes on one of the Lazy X boys, making believe as if he was weak in the laigs. The rest of just haw-hawed.

A young feller we'd never seen afore was comin' cater-corners from the station. He was a slim-Jim, sorta salla complected, jaw clean sc.r.a.ped, and he had on a pair of them tony pinchbug spectacles. He was rigged out fit t' kill--grey store clothes, dicer same colour as the suit, sky-blue s.h.i.+rt, socks tatooed green, and gloves. He pa.s.sed clost, not lookin' our _di_rection, and made fer the Arnaz rest'rant.

Just as he got right in front of it, he come short and begun readin'

the sign that's over the door--

Meals 25c Start in and It's a Habit You cain't Quit.

Then we seen him grin like he was _turrible_ tickled, and take out a piece of paper t' set somethin' down. Next, in he slides.

We all dropped back and lined up again.

"Not a sewin'-machine agent, 'r he'd 'a' wore a duster," says Hairoil.

"And a patent medicine man would 'a' had on a stove-pipe," adds Bergin.

"Maype he iss a preacher," puts in Dutchy, lookin' scairt as the d.i.c.kens.

"Nixey," I says. "But if he was a drummer, he'd 'a' steered straight fer a thirst-parlour."